Buoy.



No. 706,804. Patented Au l2, I902.

w. s. cnoucu, 1R.

BUOY.

(Applicafiion filed Jan. 30, 1902,)

2 Sheets8haet I.

(No Model.)

No. 706,804. Patented Aug. 12, I902.

W. S. CROUCH, .IR.

BUOY.

1 (Application filed Jan. 30, 1902.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets$heat 2.

ave/urea in elevation.

"ret res BUQY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 706,804, dated August12,

Application filed January 30, 1902. Serial rt. 91.897. (No model.)

To a, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. CROUCH, J r., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State ofWashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buoys;and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in buoys, and more particularlyto that form of such devices designed to carry a cord or cable andprovided with means for permitting said cable to be paid out accordingto the movement of the buoy.

The object in view is the production of a buoy designed for sending aline from one vessel to another, from a-vessel to a man overboard, froma vessel to shore, or from shore to a vessel, or for indicating theposition of an anchor, the results being attained by providinga suitablefloating body carrying a supply of cable designed to have its free endsecured at the point from which the body starts and to be paid out asthe body moves with the Wind upon the water. 1 With this and otherobjects in view the invention consists in certain novel constructions,combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fullyset forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a longitudinalvertical central section through a buoy embodying the features of thepresent invention, the cable-carrying spool and a portion of the coverbeing shown Fig. 2 represents a transverse horizontal section taken on aplane of line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a view in side elevationof a portion of a buoy, parts being broken awayfor illustratingamodification in the cable-carrying means.

it is well known that objects floating on the surface of a body of waterwill move in the direction of the movement of the Wind at a more or lessrapid rate, and my device is contemplated to be employed in such amanner as to take advantage of this fact, and a vessel in distress bythe use of my improved buoy may readily establish communication with anypoint at a distance therefrom in the direction of the movement of thewind. In order to accomplish this result to the best advantage, Iemploy, as seen in the accompanying drawings, an outer casing or shell,as 1, made of suitable material and preferably cylindrical in contour,reduced at its lower end and extending in the form of a smaller cylinderfor a suitable distance from the point of reduction, as at 2. Secured tothe lower end of the reduced cylinder 2 is a weight of lead or othersuitable material, as 3, which is preferably circular in form anddesigned to close the lower end of said cylinder 2, said weight beingapertured centrally, as at 4, for purposes hereinafter mentioned. Apreferably frusto-conical shell, as 5, is secured Within casing 1 andhas its lower end attached to the reduced portion of said casing and itsupper end provided with an annular outwardlyextending flange, as 6,attached to the casing J, the said flange 6 and the lower portion of theshell 5 being shell 1, whereby an air-tight annular compartment, as 7,is formed. Mounted upon and secured to the flange 6 are inner casings,as 8 8, preferably four in number, spaced from each other, as at 9 9,and each provided at its ends with flanges, as 10 10, contacting withand hermetically secured to the outer casing 1. Each of the casings 8extends upwardly for ashort distance above the upper edge of the casingl, and an annularring, as 11, having its upper face flush with andextending in the horizontal plane of the upper edge of casing 1, securessaid casing and each of the easings 8 together,whereby an air-space isformed for each casing 8.

A rubber or other suitable packing-gasket 12, equal in thickness to thedistance casings 8 extend above ring 11, is placed upon said ring, thesaid projecting portions of the casings preventing lateral movement ofthe said gasket. A cover or cap, as 13, is usually placed upon thegasket12 for closing the upper end of the casing 1. This cover 13 is circularin form and is provided with inner and outer walls forming an air-spacetherebetween and having a vertical wall connecting the inner and outerwalls, Any desired number of eyes, as 14, may be attached to thehermetically sealed to the cover 13 for carrying a suitable cable 15,designed to-be provided with any number and preferred form of suitablefloats.

Brojecting laterally froni casing l, on the outside thereof,"are lugs,as 16 16, each car .rying a pivotally-attached' bolt, as 17. Projecting,radially from the vertical portion of cover 13ares ui-table lugs, as 18and 19, spaced apart adistance approximately the-same or' a littlegreater than the diameter-of bolt 17. The numberof lugs 18 andl9correspond to the number of bo1tsl7, preferably, and in op-' erationwhen'the cover 13 rests upon gasket 1 12' the said bolts 17 are swung tovertical plane between their respective lugs 18 and- 19,

and a nut,,as 20, is threaded upon each of said bolts downwardly untilit engages the upper edges of lugs 18-and 19, whereby the cover 13 Iwill be securelylocked in itsplace,,the gasket 12-serving to seal thejoint, so as-to prevent the entrance of water at the upper end of the.Within diametrically opposite spaces 9 and preferably secured to casing1 are brackets, as 2121, each provided in its inner wall with a slot 22,and carries any suitable form of spring, as 23, arranged in a diagonalplane in the rear of .said slot. A suitable spool, as 24,

' may be mounted in, the present improved buoy by having theends of-itsaxis, which are preferably provided with heads, as 25, passed throughslots 22 and moved downwardly until the springs 23 have been sprungpastthe said heads 25, as clearly seen in Fig. 1 of thedrawings,-whereby the spool 24 will he journaled in said brackets 21 and lockedtherein against accidental removal. Any suitable cable maybe wound uponthe spool 24 and is designed-to vbe paid out through aperture .4. whenthe buoy isin operation.

Extending across each of the spaces 9, preferably in a higher horizontalplane than brackets 21,.is arranged a strip of any suit able material,as 26, secured in any suitable manner to the opposite casings 8 andprovided witha horizontalslot 27. As seen in Fig. 3 ofthe drawings, Icontemplate employing suitable pegs, as 28 28, carried upon anypreferred form'of support 29, provided with bolts 30,.designedinoperation to be passed into slots 27 for being supported inoperativeposition, said pegs 28 being designed 'tobe substitutedfor the spool 24,any preferred form of cable being wound upon the pegs 28 in anypreferred and well-known manner. It will, of course, be apparent thateither the spool for thepegs may be inserted or removed at willbyfsimply removing the cover 13.

Although I have enumerated some of the particular functions of mydevice,yet I do not mean to limit myself. to the exact operation stated; but itwill be apparent that my improved buoy may be: employed upon any body ofwater for establishing communication between two points. It will also beapparent that the buoy is constructed in such manner as to permit thefeeding of the cable carried therebywithout danger of the wateu-entering the chamber carrying said cable, and in addition to this feature ofthe device it will be ent invention.

Having'now described my inventiomwhat I claim as'new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-' t 1. A buoyfor sending a line to or froma distressed vessel, or for indicating the location of ananchor,comprising in its-construction a suitable hollow body portion, andprovided with anaperture or outlet at its lower end, and also with asuitable cover which fits upon the upper end of the buoy, said coverbeing formed with an air-compartment, a weight disposedfat the lower endof the buoy vfor holding the latter in an upright position, and-a devicefor holding and paying out a line arranged within the buoy,substantially as described. 7

'2. A buoy for sending aline to or from a distressed vessel, or forindicating the locationof an anchor, 'comprising in its construction .asuitable hollow body portion, and provided with an aperture or outlet atits lower end, andalso with a' suitable hollow cover too which fits uponthe upper end of the buoy,

means disposed at the lower endof the buoy for retaining the latter inan upright position, a device for holding and paying out a line arrangedwithin the buoy, said device comprising a plurality of pins or pegs uponwhich the line is wound, the line being designed to be passed throughthe aperture in the lower end of described.

3. A buoy for sendinga line to or from a the buoy, substantially asdistressed vessel, or for indicating the loca'-' tion of an anchor,comprising in its construction a suitable hollow body portion which isweighted a. its lower end and provided with an aperture at said lowerend which commu nicates with the interior of the lemma device withinsaid buoy for holding and paying out a line, means for temporarilylocking the line-holding device within the buoy, a cover for said buoy,means for locking the cover in position on the body of the buoy againstthe entrance of water, independent air-compartments arranged within thebuoy, and also an air-compartment in the cover, substantially asdescribed.

4. A buoy for sending a line to or from a distressed vessel, or forindicating the location of an anchor, comprising a hollow body endportion, the buoy being weighted at its lower and provided with anaperture at said lower end which communicates with the 'ina devicearranged within buoy with spaces between said compartments for thereception line-holdingdevice, and acov erfor said buoy,

means for locking the cover in position on the buoy against the entranceof; water, and a ropecarrying corks 0r floats secured around the buoy,substantially as described.

5. A buoy comprising a hollow body porof meansfor holding the -tionhaying its lower end weighted and apertured, a device arranged withinsaid body portion. for holding and paying out av line, and independentair-compartments within said body portion arranged withspaces'th'erebetween for the reception of means for retaining theline-holding device, substantially as described. In testimony whereof Ihereunto affix' my signature in presence oftwo witnesses.

WILLIAMS. CROUCH, J R. Witnesses;

J OHN L. FLETCHER; EDGAIR M. KITCHIN.

